DAVAO CITY, Philippines–Gays and transgenders slammed Dionisia Pacquiao, mother of boxing champion and Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao, over her statement on homosexuals using contraceptive pills as breast enhancers.
Goya Candelario, spokesperson of the Progressive Organization of Gays (ProGay Philippines), said Dionisia’s jab at gays and transgenders—as she assailed Senator Miriam Santiago—was “scary and dangerous.”
“We want Mommy Dionisia to know that we are deeply offended and scared that her words can again revive the ‘disease model’ of homosexuality and transexuality in Philippine society,” Candelario said in a statement.
He said that she and “her fellow Filipino transgenders are taking offense at the homophobia and transphobia that Dionisia’s remarks can help cultivate.”
Dionisia recently had a word war with Santiago who criticized her son for opposing the controversial Reproductive Health bill.
The exchange turned hilarious, with Pacquiao’s mother screaming the word “malaswa” over and over again—which she said must be given attention by Santiago and those who have been criticizing her son.
She was also quoted as saying: “Tingnan mo, mga bakla, kaiinom ng pills, hindi na bagay inumin ng mga bakla kasi lalaki sila. Ginagawa sila ng Diyos na lalake. Umiinom talaga sila ng pills para magsilaki ang dede. Bawal ‘yan!” (Look, gays take in pills but gays should not do so because they’re men. God made them to be men. But they take in pills to make their breasts grow. That is prohibited.)
Candelario admitted that many “low-income transgenders take female hormones in contraceptive pills to enhance their femininity.”
“The practice should not be considered immoral, illegal or a state of mental disorder,” the ProGay leader said.
“Many of us have to take some form of female hormones because our livelihood in the beauty and tourism industries depend on enhanced feminine features. However, because of expensive hormones that only high-income transgenders can afford, we urban and rural poor gays and transgenders can only access the cheaper birth control pills,” she added.
Candelario and other gay and transgender health advocates are pushing for health teachings among the gay, transgender and lesbian working class population “so that we can better understand the effects of hormones and other reproductive health technologies.”
A survey conducted by ProGay among transgender groups in the slums of Manila indicates that “many trans girls take pills in their early teens on the advice of elder transgenders in order to get an early start at the job market of overseas entertainers.”
The group believes that education campaigns should be extended to this vulnerable group to reduce the risks of contraceptive pill usage.
The group has a health advisory service that counsels transgenders about the health risks of dosing on pills, and the risks include blood clots, obesity, liver disease and cardiovascular diseases.
“We should work to remove discrimination and homophobia in health care services for LGBTs (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) because the World Health Organization has already declared in 1990 that homosexuality is not a mental illness. Therefore, we ask people like Ms. Pacquiao to join us bakla, gays and transgenders in improving our health awareness, and not use hurtful words,” Candelario said
Candelario’s group is an active advocate for the passage of the comprehensive Reproductive Health bill.
If passed, he said, not only women of reproductive age can get access to health care but also the low-income LGBT residents of the Philippines.
“That is why we are pleading with Ms. Pacquiao to come out with a better view of transgenders and gays. She should understand our situation in order to see how much we can benefit from the approval of the RH bill,” he said.